Natural fibres

Natural fibres Natural fibres allow the skin to breathe more easily than most synthetic fibres, and have a less harmful impact on the environment. These fibres come directly from plants or animals. They include wool, cotton, linen, hemp and silk (from the cocoons of silkmoth caterpillars that feed on mulberry leaves). Natural fibres wick water and sweat away from...

Wool can save our planet

Wool can help save the planet Wool is the ideal fibre to help reduce global warming.  According to international research, a household can significantly reduce its carbon emissions by living with wool: insulating with wool, wearing wool, walking, sleeping and sitting on wool. The European Commission reports that a household can cut its CO2 emissions by up to...

Winter Grazing - Sweetveld and Sourveld

Winter Grazing How can existing forage resources be used for winter grazing? Veld in certain areas on a farm might provide useful, cheap, grazing for winter. The mountaintops and higher slopes on a farm might be sourveld, and thus not much use for winter grazing, but there could be areas of sweetveld in the warm, drier river valleys....

Tips for Drench Resistance - Worm Management

Worm management The 4 key principles of worm management everywhere: 1. Do regular worm egg counts 2. Know your drench resistance status 3. Maximise non-chemical worm management 4. Seek professional advice What Causes Drench Resistance? Drench resistance is caused by exposing worms to several treatments of same drug This can kill susceptible worms but leaves increasing numbers of...

Pneumonia infections in sheep

Pneumonia infections in sheep may present in some cases as chronic or acute symptoms resulting in death. More often, young and unvaccinated sheep that have not been vaccinated for some period, may become infected. Poor hygiene conditions may often also have an additional impact in this condition.  Certain conditions e.g. weaning, transportation, exposure to infected animals in feedlot...

Strategic Dosing - Sheep and Goats

                                    As winter approaches in South Africa many farmers believe that the worm problem associated with the humid and often hot summer months will be drastically reduced with the decreasing temperatures.  While this may be true, winter is not without its worm challenges. This said, flukes (conical and liver flukes), roundworms (Brown stomach worm, Bankrupt worm (Long...

Did Ewe Know? Sheep Breeds

Sheep Breeds There are more breeds of sheep than breeds of any other livestock species.  Worldwide, there are more than one thousand distinct sheep breeds. Sheep come in all different sizes, shapes, and colors.  Breeds are usually classified according to their primary purpose (meat, milk, or wool), the type of fibers they grow (fine, medium, long or carpet...

Durability of Wool

Where cotton fibre falls apart after 3,000 bends, and silk risks tearing at only 2,000,  wool can stand up to 20,000 flexures before breakage occurs.  This means it retains its shape and appearance far longer than many other fibres. Wool is a highly complex structure comprising of two main parts. The first is a rigid and elastic section,...

Trace elements, Copper and Selenium in wool production

Copper deficiency In sheep, the characteristic crimp in the wool becomes less distinct, until the fibres emerge as almost straight, hair-like growths, to which the terms ‘stringy’ and ‘steely’ wool have been applied. The tensile strength of the wool is reduced and the elastic properties are abnormal. A spectacular restoration of the crimp and physical properties can be...

General Pathology:

Animal well-being is a priority for farmers and if one of the flock falls ill there is a best practice to follow. Here are some guidelines on what to do when things go wrong, to protect the rest of the flock.  What you should keep in mind and do when you have a sick animal, before calling the...

Lucerne powers lambing

Joining ewes on lucerne can stimulate more eggs to be released from the ovaries.  According to research Merino ewes grazing on lucerne prior to ovulation to improve ovulation rates could play a big part in increasing conception rates.  Ewes that were joined on the green pasture were in better condition and showed a greater percentage of twins results...

Ram Care – Practical advice!

“Care for your rams, so that they can care for you!!” Extra care in the two months prior to mating leads to higher fertility. More lambs, means more money in your pocket, but also leads to a better utilization of the ram`s genetic potential. Although rams are the most expensive sheep on the sheep farm, they are often...

It Pays to look after your Rams

More tips on Ram Management Extra care in the two months prior to mating leads to higher fertility. Emphasis is placed on ram fitness, and yet very few farmers exercise their rams before the mating season. Ram Effect The introduction of rams early in the breeding season stimulates ewes to ovulate within 3–6 days (without showing oestrus, if...

Ram Management

Keep the following in mind when it comes to rams: Make sure that your selection strategies are the same as those of your breeder. Where BLUP technology is available it should be used. Know your breeder and his aims, because your flock’s improvement depends largely on him.  To shop between breeders renounces this principle. Rams must be active,...